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J. G. SHULENBERGER AND L. WHITR-IGHT.

MAIL BAG DELIVERINGDEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED srzpnza. 1915.

1 ,3Q8,261 v Patented J uly 1, 1919.

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THE COLUMBIA PLANOQR'APH 60-, WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENToFnIon JAY enemas se aaeeseaammm wnimmae; ane one.

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To all whom it may concern Be it known that We, JAY AG. SIIULEN5 BERGER and Len WI-I T IGHT, citizens of the United States, residing at Lodi, in the county of Medina and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-B-ag-Deliverin Devices of which the following is a speci cation.

Our invention relates to improvements in mail bag delivering devices or apparatus and more particularly to an improved automatic mail crane whereby oneormore mail bags are adapted to be held or suspended in properpositionto be readily taken up by a passing car provided with theordinary form of hook now in common use rothersuitable and convenient device on the car. i

The primary object is to provide a generally improved crane or mail bag delivering mechanism of exceedingly simple, cheap, and cflicient construction by means of which one or more mail bags may be readily taken up and automatically released when engagedby the hook on a passing mail car without in any Way injuring-themechanism or the mail bags or the contentsthereof. J l

A further object is the provision of a post or pedestal having improved cooperating mail bag suspendinglevers or arms, together with improved suspending cable members detachably connected to the free ends of said levers or arms, said cable membersalso embodying improved bag and hook receiving loops, improved means being also provided for holding suchhookreceivinglloop in open position as Well as for maintaining the bag suspending cable members taut and in proper position until engaged and detached by the mailhook oi. the passing mail car. a s y A still further object isrthe provision of an improved mail bag suspendingcable loop adapted to carry or suspend a plurality of mailbage without the necessity of engaging the latter directly by the hook ofthe mail car, such hook being adapted to pass into the hookreceiving loop, of the cable and detach 'suchloop from the upper crane lever orbar. y y

With the above mentioned and otherends in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in one of its embodiments in the accom anying;

drawings, particularly pointeo out in:

the appended claims;

cable members. p M s v Fig. ,5, a detail sectional View of such clamping, plate in connected operative ,position with the cables and forming the double MLAIL-BALG-DELIVERTNG nnvx'on.

seriain 53,173.

Specification of tettersratent. Patented U my 1 1919.

, App1icationfi1ed September 29,-1915. i

Referring to the drawings forming a part a of this s oecification, Figure 1,;is a side eleva ,tlon ott 1Q1II1PIYQVQC1 mall bag delivering device1or crane in its operative position properly holding and suspendinga plurality of;

mail bags preparatory to receiving the hook of a passing mail car, nto the loop of the improved baglsuspending cable and auto- W Fig. 4, a detached detail one of the clamping plates used in connection with the bag securing and suspending loop of the loop for receiving and supporting the mail bags, y i

Fig. 6, an enlarged detail side elevation of the clamping and detaching device for detachably connecting the bag suspending cables to the lower crane lever oinarm.

Fig.7, an enlarged detailvieiv o f thelloop suspending and spreader heads a at the free end of the upper crane arm orlever.

Similar numerals of reference designate drawings.

like parts throughout all the figures of the The improved mail bag deliveringidevice or crane.comprlses a sultable pedestal or crane post 1, adapted to be mounted and suptance at one side ofthe railway track, said post or ,pedestalyinflthe present instance, comprising two 1 members suitably connected and spaced apart andbeing providedflwith upper and loivor mail bag suspending 1e vers or armsQ and ,3, respectively, p

and downwardly when the improvedfmail ba suspending cable members are detached as hereinafter ekplained and wher by when said man bag suspendingcablemem ers are in their normal 1 operative position as new in Figs. 1 and 2, of are drawings,

such cable members will be maintained taut held in. proper position the detachno i ported in a suitable manner at a suitableidisment and delivery vof the mail matter as hereinafter more fully referred to.

As a means of holding the upper crane arm 2, in its horizontal or mail bag suspended position said arm is provided near its pivoted portion with a pawl or dog 2, adapted to rest on a cross bar or support 1 at the upper end of the crane post 1.

As a means of properly holding and suspending the mail bag suspending cable loop in' position to receive the hook of the passing ear, thec'free, end of the upperlever is provided on opposite sides with loop suspending spreader heads 4:, to removably receive 'and 'c'arry under tension the spaced apart members of thelmail bag suspending cables to be nowdescribed.

T-he spreader heads 4:, are semi-circular shaped and'provided on their curved or upper sides with ca'ble receiving grooves so that the 'eableldo swill not become accidentally removed or displaced.

The improved mail bag suspending cable comprises, "in the present instance, a single length of cable folded upon itself midway of its ends to form a hook receiving loop 5, (adapted to be mounted upon one or the other of said spreaderheads fl, in accordance 'with'the direction in which the mail car is to pass) said mailbag suspended cable being formed into' a bag engaging and suspended loop 6, adapted to carry one or more mail bags and as a means of securely retaining the'lo-op ti, in adjusted position the ends of the'ca'bl'e are'connected to guide or slip plates 8, (see Figs; 4 and 5) the outer ends of said plates being provided with inclined or obtusely angled openings 8 to receive and pass .over the intermediate portions of the cable, and when adjusted, being adapted to crimp intothe cable m'em'bers and hold the latter from slipping or loosening about the mail bags 7. I i i As a means of detachably connecting the bag engagingand suspending loop 6,-of the 1 .cable to the lower arm or lever 3, the latter is .PIOVlded with a cable clamping and detaching device, said device, in the present infstance, b' eing connected to the free end of the leVerlBQby'mean-s'of a second cable 9, and 'consisti-ng,;in the present instance, of two pivoted members 10, normally held together means of a spring 10, the curved jaw porti ons 10?, thereof being adapted to resiliently engage and carry the lower end of the loop (5., Whenthe latteris' carrying the mail bag .7,las shown in Figs. .1 and 2 of the drawings. -when the jaws 10 of the clamping device @1150 j' areinfengagement with the loop 6, it will ta bvious t mh Weight on the and the lever 3, will maintain the mail bag suspending cable members in a substantially vertical position and will prevent the suspended mail bags from being swung laterally and it is equally obvious that when the hook of a passing mail car engages in and carries olf the loop 5, from the adjacent spreader head 4, the spring 10, will permit the jaws 10", to spread and release the loop 6, carrying the mail bags 7.

It will also be observed that since the mail or bag hook'carried on the mail car does not come into direct contact with the mail bags 7, it cannot injure the latter or the con tents thereof, and furthermore less shock or impact is transmitted to the bags and mail matter'becau'se such bags are suspended and permitted to freely swing as the car mail hook carries them off.

i As such car or bag engaging hook is well known and understood and as such or any other car attachments form no part of the present invention,it need not be shown or described in detail in this application.

7 From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the operation and advantages of our invention" will be readily understood.

Having thus described one of the embodiments of our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. In a mail bag delivering device, a single length of cable folded upon itself forming a hook receiving loop at one end and a double mail bag receiving and suspending loop at the other,rthe members of the latter being each provided with a slip plate adjustably clamping said cable below said hook receiving loop.

'2. In a mail bag delivering device, a single length of cable folded upon itselfforming bag and hook receiving loops said bag receiving loop comprising two members having adjustable clamping devices consisting of a pair of perforated slip plates engaging the intermediate portions of said cable.

3. In a. mail bag delivering device, a podest-a1 provided with upwardly and downwardly swinging weighted levers, and bag suspending cables detachably suspended therebetween and detachably connected to g each other, one of said cables having adjustable bag and hook receiving loops.

In testimony whereof we have allixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JAY GEARHART SHULENBERGER. LEE WHITRIGHT. lVitnesses:

A. F. WHITRIGHT, lWARY E. SI-IULENBERGER.

epics o1 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D, G. 

